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In July 2012, at the age of 38, I was given the devastating news that I had advanced ovarian cancer. This is my blog and the story of my fight to regain my health. I hope to share with you things that I've found helpful along my journey and keep you posted on my progress.

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Wednesday, 14 January 2015

Unfortunately I have some bad news. I took blood again last week to measure my tumour marker and it has doubled in the last 5 weeks – it is now 73. I am absolutely devastated but ready for the fight. The hospital is arranging for me to have another CT scan to see if there are any visible tumours and I have an appointment with my consultant on 26th January to discuss the scan results and my options for further treatment under the NHS.

Needless to say my brain started working 100 miles per hour and I have come up with a plan.

Just recently I read a book called ‘The Journey’ from Brandon Bays and I was really fascinated by it. She developed a method where you reach your deepest self, discover what your unresolved issues are and find out on an emotional level why you are not letting go of an illness. A good friend of mine tracked down a practitioner in the UK who does sessions using the techniques from The Journey, so I’ve arranged to see her to see if she can help me. That is what I am doing this weekend. I am very excited about it and hoping I can find some answers.

Furthermore, I’ve contacted one of the clinics in Germany that I’ve been in touch with previously to arrange a date for me to go out for treatment. Thanks to all the generous donations I am able to start treatment at this clinic. I’ve chosen to go to the Lentz clinic, which offers a unique treatment called Immunepheresis that is only available in Germany. Immunepheris is an immunotherapy type treatment that helps the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer, so it is non-toxic with no side-effects. It works by using a dialysis machine to filter something called TNF blockers from your blood. TNF blockers shield cancer cells from your immune system, so by removing these, it weakens the cancer’s defences, thereby allowing white blood cells to attack the cancer. The treatment is proven and has got very promising results. I am trying my best to avoid chemotherapy as I have hardly recovered from the last one – after nearly 8 months of chemotherapy treatment I only had 3 months of stable disease before the cancer started growing again.

On the other hand, the good news is, we have set a date for the big day - our wedding. It is scheduled in for the 14th March (this year of course). I am so excited about it and looking forward to becoming a “Mrs”. It’s going to be a very small wedding with just family and very close friends, but a very special day. I need to get better by then as that date cannot be changed! I do not want to change it.

As you can see there’s a lot happening. I will keep you updated on my progress.

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About Me

Hello! My name is Beata. I am 40 years old and live with my husband John and his two children in Surrey, UK.

I used to work as a dental nurse but more recently my time is taken up battling cancer. At the age of 38 I was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, much younger than the average age of 63 for this type of cancer. Unfortunately there are very few treatments available under the NHS for women with advanced ovarian cancer, so I spend a lot of my time trying to find new and alternative treatments that might help me and also trying to follow all the best advice for fighting cancer naturally through diet and lifestyle choices.

I’ve been on an incredible journey since being diagnosed with cancer, with some big highs and lows, and I’ve learnt a lot along the way, both about my cancer and myself. I try to share some of this through my website: www.MidLifeCancerCrisis.com.

My Fundraising Appeal

When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 I was told by the NHS that the treatments they have can only keep me alive for around 3-5 years, so I am desperately trying to raise the money I need to pay for innovative new treatments not available to me on the NHS. I have set up a fundrasing appeal with the help of cancer charity Yes To Life

Time is against me, so if you feel you can help by making a donation, however big or small, I would be very grateful.

Use My Amazon Link

Give my fundraising a boost by buying your Amazon goods using my Amazon link below. There is no extra cost for you - you pay the same price at Amazon - but up to 10% of the price you pay is donated back to my appeal.

Listen To My TNS Radio Interview

This is a radio interview that I did on TNS radio with Deborah Walker, a naturopath who has given me tremendous encouragement and inspiration during my fight to regain my health.